For the nuclear arms race, students might cite NSC-68, the National Security Council report, 1950.

For the Korean War, students could point to the Truman Doctrine (1947) that established the containment of communism as official policy.

For Vietnam, students could also use the Truman Doctrine or the U.S. rejection of the terms of the Geneva Conference of 1954.

The launching of Sputnik might bring mention of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union (this could also be used as an example of peaceful coexistence by a sophisticated student).

The Berlin Crisis led to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

The Bay of Pigs incident led to the installation of Soviet nuclear arms in Cuba, which also led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dangerous direct showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union and very nearly incited a nuclear war. Students might also point to the ongoing embargo on Cuba by the United States.

For the United Nations, the presence of this body—and the role of the United States and the Soviet Union in the UN Security Council—has helped ensure that some peaceful dialogue was ongoing during the Cold War.

SALT I (1972) and SALT II (1979) (the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) represented the first real attempt by the United States and the Soviet Union to limit their collective weapons stores. SALT II was more far reaching than SALT I and, although never ratified by the U.S. Senate, set the tone for a lessening of Cold War tensions after 1979.